


I'm a mess and you're a work of art

by orphan_account



Category: All For One (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 19:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7326781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dorothy's new to Dumas and spends most of her time in the campus cafe IM-ing her friends back home. Connie is the late-shift employee that finally plucks up the courage to talk to her. </p><p>One shot Dornie AU. Fluff without much of a plot, really. Title taken from "Fell For You" by Green Day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm a mess and you're a work of art

 

 

 

                She’s always the only customer who stays until closing. Connie’s seen her around campus before, but she doesn’t know the girl’s name. She sits alone in the corner booth, hunched over her laptop the same as she does every night. Her hair’s tied up in a messy bun on top of her head, stray stands falling out. She’s wearing overall shorts over a plain blue t-shirt, and cherry red lace up boots.  
                She always comes alone, orders a coffee and a pastry and keeps to herself. _Does she have any friends? A boyfriend? Girlfriend?_ Connie sneaks a glance at her as she disassembles one of the coffee machines to clean it. She’s watched the girl come in every day for six weeks, and she’s yet to pluck up the courage to talk to her about anything that wasn’t related to her order. Cute girls always make her nervous.

 

                Dorothy looks up from her coffee, letting her eyes wander around the campus café. She’s been here since 5:30, when her class let out, and it’s getting close to 10. The Wi-Fi is better here than in the dorms, her reason for spending so much time here. Or at least, it usually is. She taps one boot against the floor and makes a hissing sound as the Wi-Fi icon on her screen turns red, indicating the connection is down. And she was just in the middle of a great conversation.  
                Miffed, she watches the girl working behind the counter. Her nametag reads “Connie”. She works the late shift most nights, but usually there’s one other girl working with her. Tonight Connie’s by herself. Dorothy’s usually been so engrossed in her computer that she’s barely said anything to her aside from ordering. She pulls her earbuds out of her ears and watches her. _She’s cute_ , Dorothy thinks to herself.

 

                “You look tired.”  
                Connie turns around to see the girl with the laptop looking at her. She nearly drops the napkin dispenser she’d been filling. “Oh, yeah. I’ve been here since noon.”  
                The girl makes a face. “Geez. Where’s Portia?” Portia’s the other girl that usually works the night shift.  
                “Called out.” Connie shrugs. “I picked up her shift for her, since I don’t have any classes today.”  
                “That sucks. The working all day thing, I mean.”  
                Connie shrugs again. “She’s my friend. I don’t mind.” She tilts her head towards the girl’s computer. “You’re here a lot.”  
                “Oh, yeah,” the girl wraps the cord of her earbuds around one index finger. “All my friends are back home and this is really the best way to keep in touch. Time zones are weird. It’s like a 3,000 mile distance...” she trails off, a note of sadness in her voice.  
                “You’re not from around here? So what brings you to Dumas?”  
                “Mu Sigma Theta. I just got accepted.“  
                Connie raises her eyebrows. “You came all the way across the country for a sorority?”  
                The girl fingers her necklace for a moment before replying. “It’s not just any sorority. It’s my gram’s sorority. It’s my dream to follow in her footsteps.” She gets excited now. “They’re the most feminist sorority on campus and they support so many causes that are important to me.”  
                Her passion is infectious. “What’s your name?”  
                “Dorothy. Some people call me Dee.”  
                “Nice to meet you, Dorothy.” Connie smiles and pretends to do an awkward little curtsy, as if her apron was a full skirt. She picks up Dorothy’s empty plate and carries it behind the bar.  
                “How late do you have to work?” Dorothy continues.  
                “Til eleven. Which –“ – Connie glances up at the clock – “technically we’re closing in ten minutes.” She stifles a yawn. “’fraid I gotta send you on your way soon.”  
                Dorothy makes a face. “Can I buy you a coffee or something?”  
                Connie shakes her head. “I appreciate it, but, they’re really strict about us not having snacks unless we’re on break.”  
                Dorothy puts her chin in her hands. “Well I won’t tell if you won’t.”  
                Connie shakes her head again.  
                Dorothy looks miffed and begins packing up her laptop.  
                “But, uhm, maybe we could hang out?” Connie offers, awkwardly.  
                “Wait, seriously?” Dorothy’s whole face lights up.  
                “Sure. Tomorrow’s Saturday, no classes, and I’m off work. I could show you around the city.”  
                Dorothy scribbles her name and a phone number down on a napkin, and, as an afterthought, a smiley face with its tongue sticking out. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

 

                Connie texts her in the morning. _Meet me outside the library at 1pm._ _-Connie_  
                Dorothy texts back. _Awwwwsommmmeeee! :D Can’t wait._  
                When Connie arrives outside the library, Dorothy’s arguing with a guy almost twice her size “What’d you say to me, douchecanoe?”  
                “Douchecanoe?” he laughs, rolling his eyes.  
                “I said, say it to my face!” she shoves him. He doesn’t budge, of course, just yells in protest.  
                “Get a life, Castlemore.” He walks off. “You’re not worth my time.”  
                “Yeah that’s right! Take your douchey face and keep walking!”  
                Connie shifts her bag on her shoulder, watching Dorothy with a mixture of wry amusement. “Do you always pick on guys twice your size?” she teases.  
                “He started it.” Dorothy eyes Connie from head to toe. “You look nice.”  
                “Thanks.” Connie blushes and smooths her dress. “It’s my favorite.”  
                Dorothy fidgets with the strings of her plaid hoodie. “I’m underdressed.”  
                “Oh, gosh, no, it’s not that bad. I mean, it’s not bad at all. It’s great. You look comfy.” Connie blushes. “Shall we go?”  
                Dorothy grins. “Lead the way!”  
                Connie offers her arm and Dorothy slides hers through it. “You just might be a bigger dork than me.”  
                “We’ll see,” Connie laughs.  
                Dorothy spends most of the drive looking out the window with childlike wonder. “I’ve never been in such a big city before.”  
                “It can get crazy, but it has its perks.”  
                “Where are you from?”  
                “I’ve lived here my whole life. I always wanted to travel abroad, but, I couldn’t get enough scholarship money to do so. So I’m here at Dumas. It’s okay. Not exactly the college experience I was hoping for, but I’m making the best of it.”  
                “Yeah? At least you have friends here.” Dorothy cranes her neck to look at the top of one really high building.  
                “Hey, close your eyes.”  
                “What? Are you crazy?” Dorothy squawks.  
                “I’m going to take you to my favorite place and I want it to be a surprise.”  
                Dorothy narrows her eyes as she turns to Connie. “Is this the part where you abduct me? Am I gonna wake up in the trunk of this car?”  
                Connie laughs. “Just trust me.”  
                “Urghh, fiiine.” Dorothy pretends to be annoyed as she closes her eyes.  
                Two minutes later the car rolls to a stop and Connie gets out, opening the door on Dorothy’s side. “No peeking, Castlemore.”  
                “No fair. I don’t know _your_ last name.”  
                “Bonacieux.”  
                “Oooh, Miss Bonacieux,” Dorothy says in a faux French accent.  
                Connie puts both hands on Dorothy’s shoulders. “Walk forward and wait until I say open them.”  
                Dorothy does as she’s told. She’s vaguely aware of sidewalk turning into carpet, of automatic doors sliding and the feel of air conditioning. “Are we at the mall?”  
                “Nope.” They walk a little bit more. “Okay, open them.”  
                “Oh, wow.” She turns around and meets Connie’s eyes. “Your favorite place is the art museum?”  
                “It’s silly, I know.” Connie blushes.  
                “No, no, I like it.” Dorothy smiles.  
                Connie looks up, her blue eyes shining. _She’s so cute_ , Dorothy thinks. For a moment she’s lost in her eyes.  
                 “Come on, I want to show you my favorite painting here,” Connie says, taking Dorothy’s hand and leading her away.

 

 

                “Okay, sooooooo….” Dorothy’s a whirlwind when she plops down at the picnic table where Connie’s sitting. “Since I can’t take you to my favorite place, I’m going to take you to do my favorite thing instead.”  
                Connie raises an eyebrow. “Punching people isn’t really my cup of tea.”  
                “Oh har de har har, you’re so funny.”  
                “You do have a reputation. Remember that story you told me about your graduation party?”  
                “Hey, he was pushing girls in the pool and making them cry. He deserved it.” Dorothy waves a hot pink flyer in her hand. “No, silly! Concerts! Music! Yeah?”  
                Connie takes the flyer from Dorothy’s hand and studies it. “This is tonight.”  
                “Spontaneity!” Dorothy cries, flinging her arms out excitedly. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”  
                They’ve been hanging out over the past several weeks. Between Connie’s job, Dorothy’s sorority activities, and of course, classes, it’s mostly been after classes and on weekends.  
                “Who is this band?”  
                “I dunno, some local band or something. I just like live music.”  
                Connie holds the flyer up. “I have class in the morning, Dee.”  
                “Come on,” Dorothy pleads. “You promised when I picked an epic hang that you’d go, no matter what. _Come onnn._ ”  
                Connie thinks.  
                “Hey, it’s either that or we go on a two day roadtrip back to where I grew up so I can show you my childhood treehouse.” Dorothy folds her arms. “Your choice.”  
                “Dee…”  
                “Please!” Dorothy begs. “Pretty please.”  
                “Alright, why not?” Connie finally concedes, and Dorothy tackle hugs her across the table.            
                “We’re gonna have sooo much fun. I have class now, but” – she looks at the time on her phone – “I will meet you back here at six.” And with that, she darts off.  
                _It’s just a silly concert,_ Connie tells herself.  _You’ve hung out with her a zillion times_. But somehow the butterflies in her stomach don’t listen.

 

 

                It’s at some tiny little club. Connie’s been down this street a few times, but never inside the club. Brightly colored posters of previous shows are tacked haphazardly on the walls, some of them ripped. Graffiti sprawls everywhere, even on the trash bins.  
                “This is definitely a change of pace,” Connie says, looking around.  
                “Oh..?” Dorothy asks worriedly as one of the venue crew stamps her hand. “You don’t like it.”  
                Connie gets her hand stamped. “Oh, it’s not that at all! I just never would have done this kind of thing on my own.”  
                “Go to concerts?”  
                “I mean, my parents took me to the symphony when I was nine.” Connie grabs Dorothy’s hand as they make their way into the crowded place. “But I’ve never been to a club.”  
                Dorothy’s heart flutters as Connie clings to her hand.  
                And when the lights go down and the band takes the stage, Connie still doesn’t let go of her hand. Soon they’re bouncing and dancing along with the rest of the crowd. Every so often Dorothy sneaks a long look at Connie, to make sure she’s having fun. And almost every time, Connie turns to look back at her, a huge smile across her face.  
                “Ohmygod, that was insane!” Connie cries when the crowd spills out onto the sidewalk, the show over.  
                “I told you you’d have fun!” Dorothy skips ahead of her a few steps, turning around so she can walk backwards. “It’s even better when you go see your favorite band, of course. But the music, and the lights, and ohmygodddddd.” She bounces up and down, still on an adrenaline rush.  
                A group of guys are leaning against the wall, talking and smoking cigarettes. One of them points to Connie, whispers something to his friend, and they both laugh.  
                Connie stops, looking visibly uncomfortable. Dorothy doesn’t miss a beat. “Hey, assface,” she shouts, protectively moving closer to Connie.  
                “Dee, come on, let’s just go.” Connie says, reaching for her hand.  
                One of the guys whistle and the other laugh. “Hey, sexy,” he calls out to Connie again. “Why don’t you come home with me tonight? Ditch your ugly friend over there.”  
                “I’m going to break his arms,” Dorothy practically growls under her breath, and before Connie can stop her, Dorothy’s marched right up to him.  
                “Damn, lady, get your crazy ass friend—“  
                _SMACK!_  
                Dorothy’s reared back and punched him square in the jaw. He stares at her, clearly pissed. “Oh, hell no.”  
                Dorothy takes two steps back and grabs Connie’s hand. “Run!” And they’re flying down the sidewalk and around the corner to the tiny pay-to-park lot, scrambling to get into Connie’s car.  
                “Drive!” Dorothy frantically flaps her arms, wincing a little bit from her sore hand.  
                Connie turns around slightly in the driver’s seat, looking out the rearview as she backs up. “They’re not actually chasing us, Dee.”  
                “STILL!” Dorothy’s craning her neck around as Connie pulls out of the lot. “You could drive faster!”  
                “I’m going the speed limit!” Connie protests.  
                Still fuming, Dorothy sits back in the seat, inspecting her hurt hand.  
                “Are you okay?” Connie asks, concerned.  
                “Mmm-hmm, yep, sure, totally.”  
                “Why’d you punch him?”  
                “Because he was being a douche, obviously. “  
                “Dorothy, you can’t punch every guy that catcalls you on the street.”  
                “Oh, I don’t care if he catcalls me. It’s you I’m worried about.” She turns to look at Connie, but she can’t read her expression in the dark car.  
                “Well, I’m afraid my café job doesn’t pay enough to bail you out of jail,” Connie jokes, in an attempt to lighten the mood.  
                “Ha-ha.” Dorothy’s phone rings and she fishes it out of her pocket. “Speaking of douches.” She stuffs it back in her pocket.  
                “Who’s that?”  
                “Miller. My ex-boyfriend.” The phone rings again.  
                “Why is he calling you?”  
                “He does that. Every couple of months.”  
                “What happened?”  
                “The usual. Cheating, lying, sexting another girl. So I dumped him. And he still can’t seem to get it through his head.” The phone rings again and she pulls her phone out, grumbles, and turns it off. “He’ll quit after a while. He’s probably just drunk again and being moody.”  
                They arrive back at the dorms and Connie walks with her. “Well, I should probably be back to my room. Might try to get some studying done.”  
                “Hey, you can come in if you want. I’ve had a lot of fun and I—“  
                Connie smiles at her.  
                “—I, uhm, don’t want it to be over already? We can watch a movie or something?” Dorothy’s stammering a bit from nervousness.  
                “It’s almost midnight,” Connie points out, but she doesn’t turn to go.  
                Dorothy grabs both of Connie’s hands and swings them. “Live a little!”

 

 

               

                And that’s how, at 4am, they’re both still awake and lying on Dorothy’s bed.  
                “So, tonight was some of the most fun I’ve ever had,” Connie says quietly.  
                Dorothy nudges her. “That’s like the fifth time you’ve said that,” she teases.  
                “I’m serious.”  
                “Even though I punched that guy?” Dorothy asks, staring up at the ceiling. She can feel Connie staring at her but she doesn’t turn to face her. “I mean, you’re probably over there like ‘ohmygod, Dorothy “Crazy” Castlemore is at it again’.” She swallows hard when Connie doesn’t say anything. “Ohmygod, you are thinking that. Oh geez.” She covers her face with her hand.  
                “Dee.” Connie reaches over and gently pulls Dorothy’s hand away. “Look at me.”  
                She does, worry still etched on her face. “Thank you for sticking up for me. It was really… badass of you.”  
                “Oh.” Dorothy blushes.  
                “I mean it. Nobody’s ever done that for me. It was sweet.”  
                “Don’t swoon on me now, girl,” Dorothy says with a nervous laugh.  
                Connie just smiles and takes Dorothy’s hand, lacing their fingertips together. “You’re kind of amazing, you know,” Connie says softly.  
                Dorothy makes a hmm sound. “I’m not, really.” Her heart is threatening to leap out of her chest.  
                “You are.” Connie rolls over onto her side so she can see her better, but doesn’t let go of Dorothy’s hand.  
                Dorothy rolls onto her side too, which brings their faces a little closer together. “Not compared to the girl next to me,” she breathes.  
                Connie gazes at her. “Dee.”  
                Dorothy bites her lip. “I’ve never… I mean, I like boys, and I like girls, but I’ve never…oh geez… And you… you make me nervous and maybe I’m reading all this wrong but I…” She lets out her breath out. “Oh god I am totally rambling like an idiot and that explains everything. But I really, really like you. Like, in an I-can’t-think-straight kind of way.”  
                “Wow.” Connie breathes.  
                “I’m sorry I’m mucking this up.” Dorothy squeezes her eyes shut.  
                “You’re not mucking this up. Quite the opposite, actually.”  
                Dorothy’s eyes fly open. “Oh?”  
                Connie smiles and very gently, reaches out and cups the side of Dorothy’s face _. And oh, this is not helping her crazy heartbeat at all._  
                Connie leans in and Dorothy’s eyes flutter closed. Her nose brushes Connie’s. _Oh. **Oh.**_  
                Connie kisses her, her lips soft against Dorothy’s, her hands very gently cupping Dorothy’s face. _She’s so soft_ , Dorothy thinks, her mind hazy. With shaking hands Dorothy reaches out to pull Connie close. Her heart’s doing somersaults and she’s afraid she might fall off the bed.  
                Connie pulls back just a little, hands still cupping Dorothy’s face. She rests her forehead against Dorothy’s. It’s all so tender, so beautiful, that Dorothy’s eyes well up.  
                “You okay?” Connie whispers softly.  
                Dorothy nods, tears running down her cheeks. “Yeah, yeah, uhm..” It’s overwhelming, the emotions in her head right now.  
                “What is it?” Connie whispers.  
                “It’s just a lot. I’ve never kissed another girl before and I…”  
                “I understand.” Connie caresses Dorothy’s cheek with her thumb. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a really long time. I just… wasn’t sure how you felt about girls.”  
                “I..yeah… uhm…samesies?” Dorothy stammers, nervous, a big dorky grin spreading over her face. She wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand.  
                “Glad we’re on the same page,” Connie laughs softly.  
                Shyly, Dorothy pulls her close and kisses her again.

**Author's Note:**

> I mostly write Orphan Black but I wanted to give a shot at writing one of my ships. Sorry for the mistakes because I'm posting this at 5 am.


End file.
